What Images Calm Dogs?

Dogs see differently from humans. The eyes of dogs and people contain light-catching cells, termed cones. Dogs have fewer cones than humans, so their color vision is not as rich as that of their owners. Although a dog's visual capabilities are different from those of people, they suit the dog's way of life perfectly and should not be considered inferior to that of humans. Dogs rely more on their sense of smell than on their eyesight, but can see certain colors. Different breeds, however, see slightly different when compared to each other. Images of other animals tend to interest dogs.

  1. Photoreceptors

    • Approximately 10 percent of the photoreceptors in the eye of a dog consist of cones. These cones detect color, so unlike humans, who can process all colors, dogs can not easily distinguish between certain colors but can see shades of gray, light blue, purple and white. The rest of a dog's photoreceptors consist of rods, which detect movement very well.

    Sense of Smell

    • Smell is a dog's primary sense; therefore, they rely far more on their sense of smell than on their sense of vision. Compared to humans, dogs are nearsighted and must typically be 20 feet from an object to see it as clearly as a human who is standing 75 feet away. Although dogs prefer their sense of smell, they do experience the world through sight as well. Dr. Alison Harman's dog would walk to the rear of her television set to look for animals that it saw on the screen.

    Colors

    • Dogs see objects in yellow, gray and blue; they do not see red, green or orange, so any images you use to try to calm them should contain the three colors they can see. Pictures that contain green, orange or red, are not calming to a dog because it will not see the image. According to Dr. Stanley Coren, from the University of British Columbia, toys for dogs are often red or orange, which are the worst colors to use.

    Abstract Concepts

    • According to Friederike Range from the University of Vienna, Austria, dogs can differentiate between pictures of canines and landscapes on a computer screen. Friederike demonstrated that dogs showed their ability to distinguish images by using computer automated touch-screens. Dogs were rewarded for choosing pictures of canines over pictures of landscapes. Dr Alison Harman, a neurologist, indicated that her dog enjoys seeing images of horses and other animals on the television.